Bhutan travel advice

Sunita Subba, from our supplier World Tour Plan, on shopping in Bhutan:
“For people who love shopping and taking home gifts, Bhutan offers a variety of goods that revolve mainly around textiles. You may shop for hand-woven textile items made from raw silk or silk, carved masks of various animals, woven baskets of cane and bamboo, wooden bowls known as Dapas, handmade paper products or finely crafted gods of silver. You can also shop for thangkha – paintings on cotton or silk applique that usually depict a Buddhist deity. One can come across these items in the many handicraft shops in and around Bhutan’s villages and major towns, though please remember that the buying and selling of antiques is strictly forbidden.”

Rajat Kumar from our supplier, ExplorIndya, shares his packing advice:
“My Bhutan travel advice is to make sure your packing includes the following: micro fleece jackets or pullovers - more than enough to add a solid layer of warmth, without adding weight, for a typical trip through Bhutan unless one is seriously hiking up in the north; tablets for headaches that you’re comfortable with and use at home; I like to keep a small canteen flask in which I can keep some black or lemon tea hot and close to me when I hike, especially at altitude; a sturdy day pack to lug around walking essentials like water, fruit and chocolates or biscuits; most dzongs at some point expect that visitors take off their footwear, so if you’re a person who doesn’t like their feet getting dirty or dusty, then I recommend packing extra pairs of fairly cheap socks that you might not mind throwing away at the end of the trip.”

Ralph Foulds from our supplier, Uncover the World, shares his tips on eating local:
“Food is always a tricky point in Bhutan because all meals are included in the daily traveller fee, so they do tend to be buffet meals in hotels and tourist restaurants. What we try and suggest to people if they’re keen on trying more authentic Bhutanese food is to ask your guide to change one of the lunches or evening meals – give them a day or two notice, so they can unbook the place that you were scheduled to be eating at – and ask them to take you to a local restaurant for some traditional Bhutanese food. There is a lot of vegetarian food available in Bhutan, though it does tend to be better if you’re a meat eater as there are a greater variety of local dishes that are cooked with meat such as Phaksha Pa, a cured dried pork dish, and Jasha Maroo, a combination of minced chicken, green chilies, onions and tomatoes.”

Travel in Bhutan is very safe and still largely free of the major banes of travel in other parts of Asia: theft and begging. Petty crime is not commonplace, even in larger cities such as Thimphu, but it’s never a bad idea to stay as safe as you can and there are ways to ensure your trip is as enjoyable and trouble free as possible. It is the Buddhist belief to respect all forms of life, and this includes Bhutan’s large number of stray dogs. It’s best to avoid contact with the strays and not to feed them; they might look cute, but they’re not trained and may bite. The low latitude of Bhutan combined with its high altitude means solar radiation in the country is intense. Even on cloudy days, you will get sunburn if you’re not careful, so bring sunglasses (two pairs in case you lose one or they break), wear a hat or cap, and apply a high factor sunscreen regularly. Avoid travelling at night due to poor road conditions and insufficient lighting. Cars, buses, large trucks, bikes, people on foot, and even animals might share the same lanes of traffic, increasing the risk for crashes, so be vigilant at all times and only travel with your organised tour group or guide. Homosexuality is illegal in Bhutan. Although the law is rarely enforced and there are no reports of any charges to this effect, same-sex couples should act discretely. Be aware that it is illegal to buy or sell tobacco products. You may bring cigarettes into Bhutan with you, with an import duty of 200 percent, but be sure to keep hold of your receipt to prove you have not smuggled them in. And do not smoke inside public spaces, including hotels and bars.